INDIA (2010): OOTY: HILLSTATION

High in the mountains of western Tamil Nadu, Ooty is a hill station established by the British raj, in tea plantation country. Today it is a popular tourist town for Indians, especially in the summer, when it is cool. Restaurants, hotels, and souvenir shops, from kitsch to high-end, line the main street. Different than Indian villages in the lowlands, houses are spread over the forested hills, townspeople wear sweaters and woolen hats, church bells toll, and boarding school students in uniforms are everywhere. Surrounded by a natural park, I found it to be a surreal place to relax and contemplate.

High in the mountains of western Tamil Nadu, Ooty is a hill station established by the British raj, in tea plantation country. Today it is a popular tourist town for Indians, especially in the summer, when it is cool. Restaurants, hotels, and souvenir shops, from kitsch to high-end, line the main street. Different than Indian villages in the lowlands, houses are spread over the forested hills, townspeople wear sweaters and woolen hats, church bells toll, and boarding school students in uniforms are everywhere. Surrounded by a natural park, I found it to be a surreal place to relax and contemplate.